By Jim Critcher
We all know what the narrow place feels like. It is the moments where we find ourselves stuck, unable to move in any direction. If we are not currently in one of these narrow places, we haven’t been long having emerged from one. Questions and confusion ensue.
The confusion often comes as to the identity of both the architect and the antagonist of these moments. We often affix blame to the devil. This is often our evangelical “go to” answer for most of the conflict we find in and around our lives. It takes but just a bit more discovery to see that this is much too simplistic.
In the case of Balaam, it wasn’t the devil blocking passage. It was God Himself. Of course, Balaam did not initially see that it was God. What Balaam did was affix blame to that which he could see. In this instance, it was the donkey on which he was riding. Up to that point, this beast and companion had proved faithful. But in the narrow place, partly based on inadequate and inaccurate sight, Balaam wrongly placed blame.
And us? In the places of constriction, are we quick to blame anyone or everyone around us? Do we lash out at those closest to us? All are wrong. Most often, it is God standing in the path. He does this for many reasons but I’ll mention just two. The first, is to see Him or some aspect of His Person or His Nature we have not previously beheld. The second, by far the tougher of the two, is to show us something about ourself and the path we have chosen. The “donkey of circumstance” will often prove to be the very thing that will save our lives (Numbers 22:32-33).
Are you in a narrow place at the moment? Stop looking for someone to blame. Ask for better spiritual insight and eyesight in order to SEE who has “moved on ahead” of you.